Fantasy Football: Top 20 Rookie Wide Receivers 11-15

Allen Hurns. 15. player. 52. Hurns scored two touchdowns during his first game against the Eagles and was considered a break out candidate after that performance. Since then Hurns has been very pedestrian, only scoring 4 more touchdowns for the rest of the season, and being out shined by fellow rookie wide receivers Allen Robinson and Marqise Lee during different parts of the season. Hurns isn’t physically gifted, testing with a 4.55 40 yard dash and a 31 inch vertical. He’s a thin a wide receiver that needs to put on some mass to be able to beat press coverage in the NFL.<p>If you didn’t sell Hurns earlier this season, then you must hold him in hopes for his value to spike in the offseason. Personally, I would use him to package up one of my rookie draft picks up a few spots to ensure that I can get a rookie that I liked in this year’s draft. Hurns is going to be a risky hold going into next year, because he has a lot of competition on his team and he’s not physically gifted. It’s going to be hard for him to continue getting the same amount of playing time going forward. The Jaguars signed Hurns as an undrafted free agent after the draft last year, so they don’t have much invested in him and it wouldn’t hurt the team at all if they had to cut him. I would sell him if I could, move my 2^nd or 3^rd round rookie pick up a few spots and relieve myself any headaches he could cause in the future.</p>. Wide Receiver. Jacksonville Jaguars

45. Latimer was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the 2nd round (56 overall) in last year’s draft. He’s 6’2 215 lbs. and ran a 4.44 during his pro day. He didn’t participate during the combine, so there’s isn’t any raw data on his metrics. He was drafted into a juicy situation, being paired up with Peyton Manning, who fuels fantasy production for his wide receivers. Latimer had one season of over 1,000 yards receiving in college which was his junior season in 2013, so he has a limited sample size of production.<p>Latimer has a very high ceiling because he should be working with Peyton Manning, and Manning does wonders for receivers and their fantasy value. The reason why he isn’t one of the top rookie wide outs is because Manning doesn’t have many years left in his career, and Latimer didn’t have much of a sample size when it comes to college production. Latimer received a lot of buzz right before the draft, and there wasn’t much positive data that supported the buzz that he was receiving. To me, Latimer is very comparable to wide receiver AJ Jenkins. Jenkins, like Latimer, wasn’t thought of much until right before the draft, then he got drafted by the 49ers in the 1st round and has been a bust ever since. I’m not saying that Latimer is a bust, but there’s historical data that supports that there’s a chance that Latimer could be. If Latimer can work his way on the field with Manning, his value is going to skyrocket, and it could be a good time to sell Latimer. Manning doesn’t have many years left in him, and it would be wise to be ahead of the curve and sell him when you can get a lot for him. Latimer’s value is very dependent on him getting on the field with Manning and for how long.</p>. Wide Receiver. Denver Broncos. Cody Latimer. 14. player

player. 52. Lee was a phenom during his 2012 season at USC, being considered the best wide receiver in college football, and was expected to be a high draft pick during the 2014 draft. The 2013 season at USC was a disaster for Lee; from injuries to bad QB to instability with the coaching staff, 2013 was very forgettable for Lee. Lee is a very explosive route runner, which he showed at the combine, when he tested with a 38 inch vertical. The major knock on Lee is that he is a smaller wide out (6’0 192), and he doesn’t possess elite speed for his size. It’s hard for smaller receivers like Lee to be a fantasy top producer in fantasy if they don’t have elite speed.<p>I have Lee valued as a wide receiver 4 to a low end wide receiver 3 in fantasy. I feel that Lee is going to be volume dependent, because he doesn’t have the speed to bust out big gains. He was drafted in the 2^nd round (39^th overall), so he’s going to get every chance to develop his skill set. I would consider Lee a hold right now because he doesn’t have much value at the moment, but if he has a good offseason and receives some buzz, then I would not hesitate selling him for a late first or early 2^nd round rookie pick.</p>. Wide Receiver. Jacksonville Jaguars. Marqise Lee. 13

49. Janis is a metric marvel. He crushed the combine with a 4.42 40 yard dash, 37.5 inch vertical, 6.64 3cone (top performer at wide receiver), and 20 reps on the bench press (top performer at wide receiver). Janis will have Aaron Rodgers throwing him the ball, which is always a good thing since Rodgers can elevate a receiver’s fantasy value. He is very athletic, and if he can land the 3^rd wide receiver role in the future, he will be valuable in fantasy. Janis is very raw and will need to get better at running routes. Also, he is from Division 2 Saginaw Valley State, so he may have difficulty against tougher competition in the NFL.<p>Janis is everything you want for a “stash player” on your dynasty team. He is young with elite athleticism, and will be in an elite situation if he can develop into the Wide receiver 3 role for Green Bay. Pick him up and add him to your team immediately if he is on your waiver wire, because there’s a good chance he is going to get an opportunity in the future. Randal Cobb’s contract is up at the end of this season, and there’s a 50/50 chance that he may not be re-signed, because Green Bay invested a 2 round pick in teammate Davante Adam, and they re-signed Jordy Nelson to a big contract last offseason. The Packers have a history of letting their receivers test the market and sign with other teams, so I would not be surprised if Cobb is on a different team next season. This would create an opportunity next year for Janis to nab the wide receiver 3 role in the offense. The down side for Janis is that he was drafted in the 7th round, and the Packers don’t have much invested in him. So if he gets hurt during camp or plays poorly, he could find himself cut from the team. If Janis gets cut during the offseason, it won’t hurt your team because you won’t have much invested in him. Metrically, he is very comparable to Vikings wide receiver Charles Johnson, and there’s a chance he could bounce from a few teams before a finds his niche. The upside for Janis is too much to ignore, and I would try my best to acquire him on the cheap.</p>. Wide Receiver. Green Bay Packers. Jeff Janis. 12. player

Arizona Cardinals. John Brown. 11. player. 32. Brown is a jitter bug. He is a small wide receiver who is very fast and has the quickness to separate from defenders easily. He had the fastest 40 yard dash times for his position at 4.34, and he has elite short area quickness, which shows in his 6.91 3cone time. Brown has been productive (44 receptions 645 yards and 5 TDs) this season, and has been stealing targets away from teammates Michael Floyd and Larry Fitzgerald. He is a small receiver at 5’10 179 lbs., but with his speed and quickness he will be able to separate from defenders. Brown was drafted in the 3^rd round (91^st overall), so the Cardinals are going to allow Brown to have every opportunity to succeed.<p>I like Brown as a wide receiver 3 for your dynasty team. I don’t think he will ever get enough opportunity to be a top 15 wide receiver, but he has plenty of value as a number 3 receiver going forward. I think he’s going to be a hard player to trade for, because I think he’s worth a 2^nd round rookie pick, but I don’t see many owners letting him go at that price. If you have him on your team then I would hold on to him, because he is a good wide receiver three and will be a great bye week filler in the future.</p>. Wide Receiver